2 held for raping woman with hearing and speech impairment in UP’s Balrampur

The alleged incident took place when the woman was returning home from her maternal uncle’s house on Monday evening.

Written by Manish Sahu

Lucknow | August 13, 2025 10:39 IST

The men were arrested following a shootout with the police, during which both were injured.

Two men were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur on Tuesday night for allegedly raping a 22-year-old woman with hearing and speech impairment while she was returning home on Monday, the police said. The men were arrested following a shootout with the police, during which both were injured.

The police identified the accused, who are in their 20s, as Ankur Verma and Harshit Pandey and said they were arrested under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to gang rape. “Their identities were confirmed through CCTV footage, and they have confessed to the crime,” Vikas Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Balrampur, said.

According to police, on Monday evening, they received information that a woman, who had left her maternal uncle’s house, had not reached home, leading her family to look for her. When her family found her, she was allegedly crying, with her clothes in disarray.

At home, the woman used sign language and conveyed to her mother that she had been raped, the police said. She conveyed that two men on a motorcycle offered her a ride on the pretext of dropping her at her house. Instead, they took her to a spot and raped her, she allegedly revealed to her mother.

The family reported the incident to the police, who registered a case and sent the woman for a medical examination. “The medical report confirms sexual assault. The victim’s condition is stable, and she has been discharged from the hospital,” a police officer said.

During the investigation, and with the woman’s assistance, the police identified the crime scene and collected CCTV footage from the area, using which the accused were identified.

Ankur, who runs a shop near the woman’s maternal uncle’s house, knew her, the station house officer (SHO) of the jurisdictional police station said. When he saw her walking alone, he allegedly approached her and offered her a lift, the police said. Harish is a farmer and an alcoholic, the police added.

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In the shootout with the police, Harshit sustained a bullet wound to his leg, and Ankur injured his leg after jumping from a height of 14 feet in an attempt to escape, the SHO said. A country-made pistol, cartridges, and the motorcycle used in the crime were seized from the accused, the police said.

Speaking about a viral clip where the woman is purportedly seen running in a state of panic, the SHO said the footage was from before the accused approached her. “Since it was dark, she was running to get home quickly. Locals said she often moved in this manner while walking on the road,” the SHO added.

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